By Kimberly Gentry
From board game-themed taverns to meet-up Mahjong groups, people are seeking in-person game play more than ever. And, for good reason — it’s good for us.
Improved mental health and social bonding are among the reasons tabletop game play is continuing to rise and technology is being set aside. After the social isolation years of COVID followed by the post-pandemic remote work trend, folks are increasingly looking to reconnect face-to-face, rather than screen-to-screen.
“Playing board games in person is probably one of my favorite things to do,” said Georgia Varani of Apex. “It is so fun to hang out with my friends and play games. We drop all of our stress for a couple of hours and play games. It’s like a play date for grown-ups.”
Traditional board games, such as Monopoly and Scrabble, fall under the larger umbrella of tabletop games, which are broadly defined as any game played on a flat surface.
Varani, who is an N.C. State University student, sets aside time for these get-togethers with her friends and family members. Common meet-up spots include each other’s houses, the Bark Bar in Downtown Cary Park and the board game cafe Meeple’s Brew in Morrisville.
“The benefit of in-person games is the social time I get to have with my friends,” Varani said. “Connecting over social media during the school day is just not the same. Online there’s literally miles of distance between us and at school we are locked in trying to get stuff done. But when we’re playing a game in person, we can drop all those barriers in a way and just hang out.”
Frequent among Varani’s group is her boyfriend and fellow NCSU student, Charlie Lankford of Cary. Lankford said he appreciates the tangible and intangible aspects of game nights. “There’s another level to it — it kind of satisfies different things than playing a video game because you have that in-person interaction. There’s also something about physical things being there, like having dice, having cards, having physical materials that you can feel.”
Happy Brains Do Mental Push-Ups With Friends
There’s science-backed research as to why Varani, Lankford and their friends are de-stressed and all smiles after game nights. Playing board games can stimulate the release of endorphins, which helps reduce stress and anxiety, according to a May 2025 online article by the University of Indiana Medical School. The article also pointed out how social bonding while playing board games helps keep loneliness at bay and promotes positive mental health.
Joanna Pike, CEO and President of the Alzheimer’s Association, told CBS News in a May 2026 interview that mental challenges are proven to positively impact brain health.
Pike specifically pointed out strategy games that require players to respond to each other’s moves. Additionally, strategy games are better for our brains than activities that rely more on rote memorization, such as crossword puzzles.
Social Interaction & The Game Play Boom
Playing tabletop games may support brain health, but it’s the social aspect that continues to fuel their popularity.
Zachary Horton, a professor at the University of Pittsburgh who studies board games and various forms of media, told the university’s news outlet, “Pittwire,” in April of 2020 that within the long history of board games (first recorded games were around 5,000 years ago in ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia), a renaissance emerged in the late 2000s and exploded again in the years prior to COVID.
“There’s no way to prove exactly why, but the trend is clear that the rise of board games matches the rise of social media,” he said in the interview. “In the late 2000s onward, there’s been an enormous resurgence. And the past five years, it’s been blowing up exponentially.”
Numbers-wise, the board game market is booming and expected to grow from $17.45 billion in 2026 to more than $39 billion in 2034, according to Fortune Business Insights, one of numerous research companies predicting a strong market.
Why? People craving social connections and reacting against the “ubiquity of digital media” are among Horton’s reasons.
When it comes to the social aspect of in-person games, Lance Shrader sees this ring true every day at his business, Gamers Geekery & Tavern, in Cary. “A lot of people who work from home come out — it’s their only chance to get to see people,” he said. “I think one of the reasons you saw such a big swelling coming out of COVID was we were just tired of not being around other people.”
Gamers, which opened in 2019, is a large tavern filled with gameplay/dining tables. There is a long bar and one entire wall lined with floor-to-ceiling board games, all categorized for easy picking based on skill level and type of game. Heavy strategy for one, family classic for another and so on. The business also hosts popular game nights, including for the card games Pokémon and MtG Commander. Frequent customers at Gamers include families, individuals and even businesses looking for team-building activities. But, what’s not frequent? Eyes glued to phone screens. “No one’s on their phone unless they’re waiting on somebody,” Shrader said. “As soon as everybody shows up, the phones just go down. Or it only gets pulled out to use as a score pad.”
On a recent late afternoon, Robert Stewart of Raleigh was at Gamers with his children, Avery, 11, and Owen, 7. The threesome stopped in while passing through the area.
Over a game of Blokus, dad enjoyed some coffee and the kids slurped down Shirley Temples. Robert said he appreciated having focused game time. “At home, it can be a little harder for everybody,” he said. “Because there’s all the distractions. Like the TV is there, the iPads are there.”
“Sometimes our dog, Dixie, will try to sit on the game,” Avery chimed in.
Michelle Nice of Holly Springs, a.k.a. “The Mahj Lady,” believes people seeking in-person experiences in a tech-heavy world is one factor for the current American Mahjong popularity. “People are absolutely starved for human connection,” she said. “And Mahjong just bridges the gap and takes the awkwardness out of meeting new people and making and forming new bonds and friendships.”
Nice started the Wake-Up N’ Mahj Social Club in 2025, which offers drop-in play across Wake County for its members. Nice also teaches American Mahjong lessons and hosts Mahjong-related events.
Mahjong Madness
Alongside board games, American Mahjong (a.k.a. Mahj) is another surging tabletop game. Mahjong isn’t new, though, with a history stretching to the 1800s in China. The game was introduced in America in the 1920s and then eventually standardized for a stateside version in 1937, according to the National Mah Jongg League (NMJL).
American Mahjong is a four-person strategy game that centers on matching a sequence of tiles to specific lines on a card, which is updated every year by the NMJL.
The game is exploding on social media with videos of people talking about strategy, showing their favorite tiles and curating game-playing tablescapes. Wake County is no stranger to the trend. Games are played at breweries, cafes, and other businesses in every corner of the county and pretty much at any time of the day. Much of this game play is organized through American Mahjong clubs and businesses.
It didn’t take Stacey Johnson of Apex long to become a devotee. “I enrolled in a beginner’s class. I felt completely overwhelmed, completely lost. But then after you get the hang of it, and after my first game, I was hooked.” Johnson now plays with three Mahjong groups — Wake-Up ‘N Mahj, Apex Mahjong Club and Holly Springs Mahjong. “I have connected and met people that I would have never crossed paths with, ever,” she said about playing with several community groups. “So, it starts as a game but turns into friendships and lots of connections.” Johnson also appreciates the game’s cognitive benefits. “I feel like I’m keeping my mind sharp,” she said. “It’s helping me get off the phone, use my mind, use my hands, have something physical to touch and learn and play.”
Lisa Gibson of the Apex Mahjong Club said community is a cornerstone of local Mahjong groups. “I think especially women are so overwhelmed and overloaded. And to be able to sit down at a table with other girls, and sometimes we talk and sometimes we just focus on the game, but it’s an hour to two hours where you are not thinking about anything else.” Gibson, along with fellow Apex residents Shannon Foltz and Morgan Mitchell, launched their business in 2026. The group hosts games, lessons and guided play sessions with curated Mahjong tablescapes across the Apex community.
Although the game is popular with moms and empty nesters, it’s certainly not reserved to them. The interest has spread to young adults, whole families and even college students. Duke University and UNC-Chapel Hill have Mahjong student groups, for example. There are even junior Mahjong sets for children.
“We’re all learning this game together and connecting,” said Johnson. “I have met so many different people in different stages of life, everything from a new mom to a grandparent who has played for 20-plus years and is teaching their grandchildren.” Johnson taught her son, Jacob, the game. “I like playing Mahjong because it is fun and hard at the same time,” said the middle schooler. “I normally play with my mom, but we’re starting a competition with my friends versus our moms.”
A multi-generational passion for the game is something Gibson has experienced and witnessed first-hand, as well. “I started playing because my mom gave me a set. You know, I think people are finding those kinds of connections, too.”
Foltz added that she and her seven-year-old son, Wells, play all the time. “I love playing with him because it’s something we can do together where we put our screens aside and it’s something we both enjoy.”
Out and About
Whether curating a game night at home or discovering new game venues, people are seeking unique settings and experiences.
“I like how each place brings a different vibe to our game,” Varani said. “If we’re playing in public, we normally have more people coming up and watching. Or, if we play at someone’s house, we get to change the lighting, music, etc., to curate the experience.”
Varani also mentioned the variety offered by venues such as Meeple’s. “We go whenever we are bored of our personal collections of games and want to try a new one.”
While visiting Gamers, young Avery echoed a similar thought. “It’s fun because the games at home, we play over and over, and then they get easier and easier. But then we come here — there’s so many different games to play.” Her brother, Owen, enthusiastically agreed. “There’s like a million board games that you can choose from! And you can try out new, fun games.”
Venues for test-driving games was a benefit Lankford pointed out. “It’s fun that you can try out different board games before you buy them because board games are expensive. You know, Catan will run you, like, $60 these days,” he said, adding board game cafes and businesses only charge a small fee for unlimited play. Plus, he noted there’s always the risk of buying a game and then discovering it’s not fun.
A key aspect of local Mahjong groups is playing during off-peak hours at local businesses in exchange for a place to meet and play. “The whole format is community, connection and fun, and to come out and support local businesses,” said Nice. “So, we’re supporting local and we’re making connections and friendship with each other. And, we don’t have the hassle of having to clean our homes or put our pets away or displace our family members or worry about the stress of what to serve.”
The same is true for those playing with the Apex Mahjong Club. “I think people love playing in their homes,” said Gibson. “But there is something different about coming and playing in a larger group, not having to make your own coffee, not having to get your own beer, etc.”
From UNO cards to Catan and from Monopoly to Mahjong, whatever version of tabletop game played, what’s clear is that once the game is over and everything is packed up and put back on the shelf, something special and beneficial stays with each player.
